Chapter 590 - 587: The Past of the Ever-Thirsty

Although they had already uncovered the answers to many questions, countless mysteries remained, eluding their every effort.

So, they used the knowledge they had already gained to begin modifying their own bodies. They transformed their proboscises, originally used for digestion, into a type of detection device. This device could analyze all sorts of things passing through it, parsing knowledge.

This way, they wouldn't have to struggle so much to interact.

They discovered that within the brains of other creatures was a cluster of nerve cells. Electrical currents constantly reverberated between these cells, and within those currents lay all the knowledge the creatures possessed.

If they could just access these currents, they could unravel countless mysteries in one fell swoop.

From the brains of these creatures, they also acquired knowledge of language, and so they began to communicate with other intelligent beings.

"We wish to acquire your knowledge," the Ever-Thirsty said, forthright and honest. In the beginning, they concealed nothing and did not beat around the bush.

But this approach was met only with hostility…

"Why should we give our knowledge to you?"

Those intelligent beings drove them away. It was then that the Ever-Thirsty finally understood that knowledge was a precious treasure to every species, and they would not share it with other races for no reason.

Undiscouraged by their first rejection, the Ever-Thirsty sought out other intelligent beings.

This time, they had learned their lesson. Instead of demanding knowledge, they offered to trade what they knew for what they did not.

The Ever-Thirsty didn't consider the knowledge they already possessed to be precious. They subconsciously believed that knowledge was most delicious in the moment of acquisition; once obtained, it lost its importance.

However, the intelligent beings they sought to trade with did not think the same way. Those beings discovered the Ever-Thirsty's unique nature. They realized that while the Ever-Thirsty possessed a wealth of knowledge, their combat strength was nearly zero. And so, greed began to fester in their hearts.

After one more exchange, those beings imprisoned the Ever-Thirsty.

They intended to use the Ever-Thirsty as tools for parsing knowledge, turning them into a vassal race.

At the same time, the Ever-Thirsty discovered that these beings had never intended to trade knowledge in good faith. They had concealed a great deal, including knowledge of weapons, tactics, and construction techniques—information crucial to a race's survival. This, they clutched tightly, unwilling to share.

The Ever-Thirsty were utterly disappointed. They now understood that not all beings were like them, willing to share knowledge selflessly.

The essence of life is greed and selfishness. Once knowledge has the potential to affect their own survival, they will not share it.

To those beings, knowledge was just like minerals or food—a resource to be traded, but never in its entirety. Some must always be held in reserve.

"Living beings are like unyielding stone. Only a hard pickaxe can shatter their selfish shells…"

The Ever-Thirsty had an epiphany. If they wanted to acquire the complete knowledge of another race, there was no other way but to conquer it.

Asking was futile. Trading was impossible. There could never be true trust between different races; only suspicion and hostility. The alien would always be ostracized. In the end, strength was the only arbiter. The big fish devours the small fish and obtains all its resources—including its knowledge.

In that prison, the Ever-Thirsty came to understand everything.

At the same time, they used the opportunity of parsing knowledge to constantly modify their bodies, secretly using what they learned to enhance their combat abilities.

Finally, one day, they shattered their prison and annihilated the race that had held them captive.

As their enemies' brains passed through their proboscises and the mysteries around them were instantly solved, the Ever-Thirsty finally understood—

This was the method of interaction they had been searching for.

Annihilation, conquest, consumption…

Nothing was more efficient. Every race was a crystallization of knowledge, a mineral that could be found everywhere. One had to dig deep into the earth for ore, but living beings were spread across the world.

The Ever-Thirsty repeated the process of conquest and consumption endlessly. The knowledge they acquired grew ever greater, and the world's mysteries began to fade away as the answers behind them opened their doors.

Whenever they invaded other races, the Ever-Thirsty never wiped them out completely.

Their goal was to acquire knowledge, not to commit genocide.

"One-third of a race's population is sufficient to obtain one hundred percent of its knowledge."

This was the conclusion they had reached through their constant invasions.

Knowledge is redundant. The brains of one-third of a population already contain all of a race's knowledge. If the conquered population consists of scientists, researchers, and high-level leaders, the knowledge acquired is even more comprehensive.

Once they had acquired sufficient knowledge, the Ever-Thirsty would cease their invasion.

However, this method of not pulling the weeds by the root left behind many hidden dangers.

Their race became increasingly infamous, and the descendants of many species they had attacked sought vengeance.

One such avenger, from the Lobster Race, procured a terrible relic from an unknown source and nearly wiped out the entire Ever-Thirsty race.

Fortunately, during their conquests, the Ever-Thirsty had also found a "relic of feigned death" that could turn them to stone. Only after a long period of suspended animation did the Ever-Thirsty crawl back from the brink.

After this calamity, the Ever-Thirsty grew more cautious. To avoid exposing their identity as invaders, they traveled to the fourth layer of the Abyss and hid themselves within a rift of chaotic synchronization, concealing their existence.

Their invasions also became more discreet. They no longer used their own bodies to invade, but instead manipulated other races, inciting wars or civil unrest. Then, they would reap the spoils, acquiring the knowledge they desired.

The cluster of stones turned slightly as the projection slowly recounted the history of the Ever-Thirsty.

And the sound of tearing paper was heard once more:

"If we were to go directly to the Hua Sheng Islands, would the healers tell us all they know?"

Faced with such a question, Ladi fell silent.

He knew full well that even if some healers were willing, the Elder Council would never agree.

To give all of one's knowledge to another race would be to leave oneself completely exposed. It was an incredibly dangerous act. No matter how "selfless" the healers were, they would never agree to it.

As Ladi was lost in thought, the Ever-Thirsty asked again:

"If we were to propose an exchange—all of our knowledge for all of the healers' knowledge—would you agree?"

'Never,' Ladi thought.

No one could ever guarantee that one side wouldn't hold something back.

"Living beings are like unyielding stone. Only a hard pickaxe can shatter their selfish shells…"